Sound of Silence
by Brass Tacked
Summary: Silence surrounded him. It pounded his eardrums and distracted his thoughts. He kept expecting to be interrupted by a familiar voice, but it never came. SasuNaru Yaoi


Disclaimer: Not mine!

_Sound of Silence_

Silence surrounded him. It pounded his eardrums and distracted his thoughts. The silence was the ultimate distraction. He tried to concentrate on his training, but found it to be impossible. He kept expecting to be interrupted by a familiar voice, but it never came. It had not come for the past month. It had not come since _that_ day.

He tried to pretend that he did not care, that it meant nothing to him. To others he had succeeded, but he knew that he was failing. He had attempted to get the information he needed from the Hokage herself. To say that that interrogation went poorly would be an understatement. He still knew nothing about the disappearance. He was still being kept in the dark. He knew that the others knew more, that they could tell him what he so desperately wanted to know. It was in the way that they acted around him, the way that they treated him. The relationships that they had all shared had always been strained because of who he is, but now the glances were filled with hidden hate and the words were forced.

He threw a kunai at a target that was positioned less then five yards away, and then bit back a curse when he missed wide and to the right. He stalked forward and yanked the offending weapon out of the bark that had become its temporary home. Shoving the blade back into his pouch, he wondered what to do now. It was obvious that training was pointless now, that it would not bring the peace that he had hoped to find.

What he wanted to do was go out and search for his comrade, but with no leads or any helpful information for that matter, it would be pointless. Yet he could not keep himself from looking to the west. He could not help but remember seeing that back walking away into the setting sun. The pain cut through him, setting his soul on fire. Why was it that he always lost everything that ever came to matter to him? He was beginning to think of it as a curse, one that was determined to break him.

Giving up for the day, he made his way back home. Stepping into the kitchen he quickly made himself a meal. He barely managed to swallow two bites before dumping the contents of the plate into the garbage. He grimaced at the sight of empty ramen cups filling the bag then slammed the lid down. Walking into the bathroom, he reached for the taps in the shower and watched as the water slowly started to steam. He eventually mustered enough energy to strip off his clothes and step into the steady steam of liquid.

As the water coursed down his toned chest he fought the memories that haunted him. No matter how hard he tried, they would not stay away. Soon he could practically feel the calloused hands rubbing his skin and brushing back his hair. Soft lips were caressing the spot on his neck where the blood flowed the strongest. Then the positions would be reversed and he was the one doing the caressing. He would search for his lover's pleasure spots. When the other moaned in pleasure, he would allow his lips to curve in a small smile. He remembered the heated skin and the feel of their erections rubbing against each other. He desperately wanted the other's body to be there now so that they could both feel that pleasure once more.

With a struggle he pulled himself out of the past, out of the wanting. He found his body hard with a need that could not be relieved. Reaching behind him for the facet, he turned the knob and waited for the water to cool down. Soon he was being blasted by an icy chill that attempted to wash away his desires. After his body had cooled down he stepped out of the small stall and wrapped a towel around himself. He then walked into the bedroom where he was once again attacked by the images of all that had happened there. Before he found himself in a cold shower once again he grabbed a pair of boxers and walked back out to the living area.

The couch sat there waiting for him, the way it had been all month. A pillow was scrunched into a corner, there was a dent in it from his fist pounding it into shape that morning, and a blanket was thrown over the cushions. With a heavy sigh he sat on the knobby cloth and put his head in his hands. What was he going to do; he could not keep living like this. He then fell back into the softness of the cushions and his head became cradled by fabric covered feathers. Closing his eyes he let the memories assault him.

It had been such a stupid fight, he could see that now. Yet he still stood by what he had said. It was time for the villagers to know the truth, even if they would never accept it. The passing of the knowledge would be ease the suffering ninja, help him with the demons that haunted his past. He never guessed that the suggestion would cause his lover to react the way he had. Before long a power had been released that he was no match for and he had ended up on the ground, defeated, and watching the person he loved walk away.

He picked over every aspect of the fight, analyzed every word that had been uttered, and waited for sleep to claim him. It never did. Soon the luminescence of predawn softly lit the room. He rose then and adorned his normal clothes. Without bothering to eat anything he made his way outside. It was nice to stroll the streets of Konoha without being bothered by all of the villagers. It had been one of his favorite pastimes before they had become a couple. After that first night together he had found it more pleasurable to stay in bed, playing with the one he loved.

Now he was trying to escape into the past. He wanted to be back where there was only pain, only darkness. Back before the light had breeched his sanctuary. He knew that even as his world was slowly swallowed once again by the black abyss that the pain would now be sharper, that he would be haunted by the memories of the light.

He found himself back in at the training grounds, standing alone in front of three targets, when the sun rose above the horizon line. Unconsciously his hand reached for the kunai in his pouch. Fingering the cool handle he remembered his failed throw the day before. Before his mind knew what was happening his body was acting. The weapon was out and whirring through the air. It stuck into the smooth surface of the target, creating a small crack in the large stump. His eyes registered that it had hit the center. He could not keep the smirk off of his face. He turned then, intending to walk away.

He began to take a step away from Konoha, this time determined to find the one who had disappeared. It was time to bring him home. He did not care how long it would take and he knew most of his time would be spent chasing ghosts, but it did not matter. If the others were not willing to share what they knew, he would discover the information himself, he was a ninja after all. He had to bring back the light, to end the silence.

As he lifted his left foot something rushed past his ear and stuck into the ground in front of him. His eyes widened at the sight of his kunai embedded in the dirt just a few feet away. He stopped moving, unsure what to do. He did not dare hope that his search had just ended before it could begin. Yet there was still silence surrounding him, it screamed that the one he sought could not be here. He moved then, stepped forwards and pulled the kunai out of the ground. He wiped it on the grass to remove any mud and then pocketed the weapon.

The silence was starting to eat away at him while the hope was trying to make him explode. Before he could torture himself anymore he gathered all of the courage he had. He frowned when he discovered that it was not all that much. Then he forced his body to start to turn. It took him a moment before he was facing the targets once again. This time there was someone else there. His heart exploded in his chest and his mind told him to move. But his body would not respond, it stood there, rooted to the ground.

Then something let go and all of the loneliness of the past month welled up inside of him. He took a step forward, hoping that he would not be pushed away. His movement seemed to be a signal to the other man and soon they stood with their chests almost touching. Their breaths mingled together until one of the heads dropped onto the other's strong shoulder. Arms reached out and pulled the bodied together. Lips descended and brushed across soft hair. They each spoke at the same time.

"Naruto" "Sasuke"

"I'm sorry"

* * *

**A/N:** I was inspired to write this at work (gasp!), a place that has always been anti-original thought. Imagine my surprise when the line 'Silence surrounded him' popped into my mind as I was putting clothes away. I spent the rest of the night formatting how I wanted to write this, I think my co-workers thought I was losing my mind or something because I kept on sighing when I thought of certain parts.

I think that this story follows Sasuke and Naruto's the one who left, but I'm not quite sure. That's why I left the ending the way I did. I would be interested in hearing about which character ya'll think this is about.

Wind to thy wings!

SW


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